Hong Kong to pilot biometric passports

By
01.24.2005 :: 9:06AM EST

Hong Kong, one of the great financial and business hubs of the world, is set to start issuing biometric passports by 2007. Hoping to start the program at an opportune time, Hong Kong's Security Bureau says that it plans to issue the new passports at a time intersecting a mass renewal of passports for almost 430,000 of its residents. The move would also bring Hong Kong passports up to date with security requirements of many international regulations, including the recent mandate of the U.S. requiring biometric data such as digital fingerprints to be included with passports. Hong Kong hopes the move will improve security and reduce illegal immigration. For more information, check out the EE Times article.

USER COMMENTS 18 comment(s)

Great..(9:16am EST Mon Jan 24 2005)Now if someone wants to steal my passport they will have to lop of a thumb..Joking aside I dont' really have a point.Although.. any greater security is a good thing.Big Brother is watching you..! – by bigbrother

this might be(9:32am EST Mon Jan 24 2005)a good thing, even if it does involve big brother LOL.

like bb above said, they (being the 'bad people') would have to cut off a thumb, or for the idea of the US ones, a head. There was something on TV about the way the ID people use your 'face' on the new passport. sounded like vectors. “every face has a different mathematical formula…” a very interesting idea indeed. – by Gir

Thumb(9:40am EST Mon Jan 24 2005)If someone gets your thumb print, can't they just model it and then recreate it on a thin flexible substance, then attach it over the bad guy's thumb and off they go? – by Llort

Biometrics != thumbprints(9:49am EST Mon Jan 24 2005)Biometrics are not necessarily the same as your fingerprints. They typically are measures of finger length, ratio's of finger length to joints, ratio lengths of finger to finger, size of hand, etc.

They are very quick to measure, and although are not entirely foolproof the odds of someone stealing your passport, and having almost exactly the same hand(s) you have, is almost zero.

SeaWorld and Disney have been using biometrics for over a year to make certain that Season passholders aren't sharing the pass with their friends. – by Hodar

a Brave New World(9:50am EST Mon Jan 24 2005)We're building a worldwide society to keep the good people imprisoned and the bad ones on the outside. – by Aldous H.

change of biometrics(10:25am EST Mon Jan 24 2005)certain biometrics are not constant forever. for example, if a person's hand start to bloat, wouldn't the size of hand and finger length change? to make it a fool-proof system they must choose the ones that cannot change – retina, finger print. even voice is not. – by mogando

Re:mogando(11:12am EST Mon Jan 24 2005)The system is based upon ratios in the hand's joints, and finger lengths. Generally, the ratio at which your hand will grow will remain constant, as your hand grows. Typically, your index finger will always remain RELATIVELY the same length as your other fingers, as they grow throughout your life.

Thus, unless you have an accident and lose a finger/hand this is a fairly good indicator that is quick, easy and relatively foolproof. The data stored need only be a series of ratios not hard and fast measurements.

With regard to Aldous H: Exactly how are you imprisoned? Specifically what can you no longer do, that you could do before? Specifically, how does protecting everyone infringe upon you in any way? Do you have any facts, or are your statements simply poorly thought out strains of stupidity? How is making your identity safe infringing upon your rights? How is keeping the 'bad guys' from stealing your identity/property/money an evil act? I have a low tolerance for blind stupidity, congratulations, you won today's prize. – by Hodar

He would have the same hand(11:27am EST Mon Jan 24 2005)If he had cut yours of and carried it with him…

:) the horror..Granted.. unlikely..you can buy biometric keyboards..Now if this only unlocks the keyboard the clever tech is beaten by plugging in another keyboards – by big brother

Hodar is correct…(11:30am EST Mon Jan 24 2005)we are not talking RFID with personal information coded to a chip that can be scanned from a distance with a homemade scanning device. This article is focusing on Hong Kong's compliance with current regulation. BTW, does scarring effect the ability to id someone via fingerprint (not trying to drift from the biometrics theme, just curious)? Now, Llort mentions duplicating fingerprints that sounds a bit “hollywood” to me. Anyone know better? – by Minstry of Truth

Any picture ID can be converted(12:26pm EST Mon Jan 24 2005)All you need to do face recognition is a front facing picture. The big US biometric companies (Identix and Viisage) have been converting state dept. of transportation databases and INS databases to use their face recognition software for several years.

Read the press releases on their websites

Almost all of their customers are either state or federal governments. Chances are if you have a drivers license you're already in their databases. If you've ever been arrested it's a pretty safe bet your mug shot & fingerprints are in their dtabase. Soon (5 years) all drivers licenses and passports will be in their system as well.

Personally I think having better ID's is importent. I want my drivers license, passport, and especially my credit card to be more secure than they are today. I think a finger print, hand size, hieght, and picture should be on every one so some schmuck can't steal my identity so easily. Today these ID's are far to “hackable”, that's not a good thing.

They fake ID's all the time. They might copy a fingerprint (only the really good ones), but are they ever going to match 10-15 other biometrics with a fully custom very expensive suit that mimics me, not hardly.

All credit card transactions are tracked. I get 3-4 phone calls a year when my wife or I charges something big just to verify we did it. With some strong biomnetrics attached, this wouldn't be needed. Biometrics might actually mean LESS tracking w/ MasterCard & Visa because they will be more confident of the users identity.– by no identity theft

big brother = moron(12:29pm EST Mon Jan 24 2005)hey dumbass, using another keyboard doesn't defeat these keyboards. The cumpter is running software that will not let you in UNTIL it sees your fingerprint.

All another keyboard is going to do is lock everyone out. – by duh

how are better ID's a bad thing(1:01pm EST Mon Jan 24 2005)I can see why the government abandoned RFID for it's new ID's due to the remote scan security risk.

However, I don't see where easily faked passports and drivers licenses benifits anyone but criminals. Sure if you're trying to buy liquer and you're under age, you want an easy to fake ID. Likewise, if you are in the country illegally who probably want an easy to fake ID as well. And especially if you're into applying for credit cards in other people's names you want an easy to fake ID system.

But if you're the average credit card shopping, car driving Joe Sixpak does an easy to fake ID benifit you in any way?

I can think of many ways to hurt you if I can copy your ID's. Even if I could track you 100% with some magical know everything ID card, would I be able to steal your money out of your accounts. Probably not, that's kind of the point of having better ID's.

We're all capable of tracking someone and we're all capable of stealing someone's ID to lesser or greater extents, that will never change. But to what lengths we need to go to in order to accomplish these things does change with technology.

Which would you rather I was more capable of doing in the future, better knowing what kind of porn you watch, or better being able to charge my porn to your accounts???? – by get real

id rather(3:29pm EST Mon Jan 24 2005)have safer IDs…I don't see anything wrong with it..nor anything infringing about it. If it keeps a terrorist or psycho off an airplane or boat, or even a country, fine by me. – by Gir

terrorist & other psycho's(3:55pm EST Mon Jan 24 2005)are few and far between. In reality you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning than by either of those. But every city in America has 100's of people making a living off stealing credit card and bank numbers. I'm much more concerned about them.

I'd pay extra for a bio-metric credit card tht was nearly impossible to hack. Even if I had to go to a special store at the mall to get printed and photographed. They could issue 2-3 identical cards just in case you lost one because the only one who could possibly use it would be you… – by SM

yup(5:37pm EST Mon Jan 24 2005)its sad, you lose or your passport gets stolen your dead. we need to have second passport in a form of cmos chip inplanted in a specific object so thugs wont know and you wont be sold into the sex trafficing thing overseas.

Duh,,,(2:58am EST Tue Jan 25 2005)thanks you answered my question.. I did ask if it only onlocked the keyboard.. and you knew the answer.

Calling me a moron was a little harsh and rude..Remember a smile is a gift that keeps on giving.. Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.. and don't me mean.Providing my memory key is a bootable device for the pc in question I bet my bartpe setup could hack it..Or does the software cut in before the OS? if not the memory key.. then I would struggle a bit more with my floppies.. (years are taking their toll.. ahem)you are rude.. I am intrigued.. But not one to let the fun stop..big brother = moron I know you are.. But what am I?What ever you call me.. I call you back times 10.. ahha.. I win..Duh is a prat